New Zealand Casino Faced Additional Challenges
New Zealand casino got bad news. The country now bans entry to foreigners, extending the restrictions indefinitely. This means that the borders will be closed very soon. As a result, the New Zealand gambling industry will not be able to rely on foreign players until the end of this year.
Since the beginning of isolation, the country has looked untouchable, as there have been no outbreaks of coronavirus like in other parts of the world. This meant that all spheres of activity could work as before. However, the situation changed radically by the end of 2020.
From this period, the statistics of those infected with the coronavirus began to grow. The data on the infected were provided by the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering. Of course, such news did not make health professionals happy, they had to look for methods to combat the pandemic. And for more than a year now, New Zealand has been under restrictions, and the borders are practically closed. Starting next year, citizens abroad will be able to return, but foreigners will have to wait in line.
It is known that New Zealand will remain in quarantine, New Zealand ministers said. Those foreign citizens who want to visit the country will not be able to do so. This policy is expected to take place until the end of April 2022. In this regard, these actions will negatively affect the income of casinos, including SkyCity Entertainment Group. After all, it was this company that built its business around foreign clients.
COVID-19 Response Secretary Chris Hipkins said the closure of the country’s borders would help in the fight against the coronavirus. Thanks to the measures of health professionals, vaccinated residents will be able not only to travel around the country but also to visit Australia, bypassing quarantine restrictions. But this can be done only in the middle of January next year.
According to Chris Hipkins, the government is informing all residents of the country about this now to enable families, companies, visitors, airlines, and airport organizations to prepare for the event.
SkyCity is known to have relied on foreign traffic coming from the PRC. This allowed them to support their casinos in cities such as Oakland and Queenstown. Over the past ten years alone, the number of gamblers from China has increased several times, while the volume of VIP activity has grown. This process has ensured 40 percent growth for the company.